


Ruthless

by kennydoll13



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:25:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2643227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennydoll13/pseuds/kennydoll13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce heeds Selina's advice</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little one-shot that I came up with after last night's episode. Baby Bruce is just the sweetest! Ugh I love him.

Bruce pretended that he wasn't lingering in front of the door. 

_Ruthless._

_"Do you know what that means?"_ she'd asked him.

He scoffed at the memory; he'd known what that word meant since he was four. She'd then gone on to imply that he was wasting his time with training, and had even jeered at him for asking so many questions. 

There wasn't much of a reason he should like her.

But when he thought about how much fun their little food fight had been, and how he'd actually  _wanted_ to hit her,  _wanted_ to get that promised kiss, he knew he couldn't stay mad at Cat. She could be rude, and unruly, but she was also exciting and made Bruce feel like a kid. Admittedly, that wasn't something he would normally want, but if he was honest with himself, it was good to talk to someone who was closer to his age than Alfred. 

_Ruthless._

If she wanted ruthless, he'd give her ruthless. 

He knocked, and after a short minute, Cat pulled open the door. "I'll be down later, old man-" she started, without checking to see who it was. When she saw that it was Bruce, she stopped and smirked. "What do you want, Wayne? Here for a rematch?" 

Bruce grinned. "Not exactly. I decided to take your advice." 

"What? About the glasses? I'm telling you, they'd look gre-"

"No..." Bruce faltered, now not entirely sure about this plan. He kept at it anyway. "About what you said about being ruthless." 

"Oh!" she seemed to perk up at that, her curly hair bouncing a bit. "And?" 

"And I did some fact-checking." 

"Of course you did." 

"Ruthless," Bruce continued, ignoring that last comment, "synonyms include: adamant and unrelenting." 

She rolled her eyes. "Bruce..."

"So, I would _not_ like a rematch," he said, and leaned up and kissed her. He miscalculated a bit, so he only got the left half of her lips, but she still looked shocked. 

He was sure he did too. 

"How's that for ruthless?" he asked, completely unsure of what he'd done. Did she hate him? Did _he_ hate _himself_?

Instead of getting angry, however, Cat straightened up and grinned. "Nicely done." 

He breathed out quickly. "Really?" 

"Well... it was _okay_. The little speech was pretty cool, I guess." 

"Oh. Well thank you."  _...And the part where I kissed you?_ _  
_

"I've got to say, I'm a pretty great influence on you," she said, smiling at herself. 

"Is- is that all?" he asked, as she started to close the door. 

"Oh! No," she hastened, opening it up a bit again, "remember what I said about the glasses. I think they'd really work for you." 

"-But-" 

"Bye, Bruce," she said, and closed the door in his face. 

He stood there for a second, not sure what had just happened. When he got his bearings, all he could say was, "I have perfect eyesight!" 

"Master Bruce?" 

Bruce spun around to see Alfred coming up behind him, looking perplexed. "Oh- um..." 

"It's good to know that you're so confident in your ability to see."

Bruce was sure his face was entirely red. He nodded curtly and hustled away down the hall. He was definitely _not_ going to try his hand at ruthlessness again for a long time.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on ever writing more to this, but I got a lot more feedback than expected, and after watching this last episode, I realized that I HAD to write more. I'd missed my baby after he'd been gone what? Two, three episodes? Anyway, he's breaking my heart. This is after the events of episode 13.

Nothing had happened to the ceiling of Bruce Wayne's bedroom during the last hour. He would know. He'd been staring at it for at least that long, trying to think but at the same time attempting to clear his mind. It was a tedious and uncomortable process, but, considering the events of the day, it had to be done.

Bruce lay in his bed, still made, the room dimly lit and the window slightly open. He hadn't slept well since the murder, and he'd long ago associated his insomnia with his frequent late nights spent poring over files, though admittedly it could also be from depression or stress. This, he would never admit to Alfred. It wasn't logical to allow Alfred insight on his nightmares, which were always of his parents. Alfred could do nothing about them, and Bruce was no longer a child who required coddling. No. These things he would keep to himself.

A burning feeling crept up his nose and under his eyes, and he shoved a pillow over his face to stifle the tears that he had already commanded away several times before. Alfred was right. He didn't have time for tears, he had to let it go. 

_Just let it go._

"You're an idiot, Bruce," he mumbled quietly to himself, the pillow muffling his voice. _ _

He'd been a real fool, thinking that Cat had been his friend. He didn't have friends, besides Alfred.

Bruce let out a humorless laugh, surprising himself. What a joke. A friendless millionaire laying alone in his dead parents' mansion with only the butler for company. He'd tried. At school he'd been teased for it. With Cat, he felt like he'd been stabbed. Not only did she find him annoying and overzealous, but she'd lied to him. His parents were still dead and Selina Kyle had never been any help to him at all.

Still, he'd wanted her friendship. Craved it, and he should've known that she had never thought of him as more than a self-righteous boy living under the protection of someone who was paid to be his family. He sniffled, and pulled the pillow away from his face. His tears had left a wet spot on the fabric, and he frowned in disgust.

She'd been unpleasant to him before, but he'd always thought that maybe, with her, he wouldn't be so alone.

Now he knew. Bruce Wayne didn't have friends. He never would.


End file.
